Railway-crossing signal.



J. P. BEIL. RAILWAY CROSSING SIGNAL.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.20,1913.

1,101,239, Patented June 23,1914

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J. P. BEIL.

A RAILWAY CROSSING SIGNAL.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 20,1913.

Patented June 23, 1914.

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COLUMBIA PLANOURAPH CO., WASHINGTON. D. C.

JOHN P. BEIL, OF KING COUNTY, WASHINGTON.

RAILWAY-CROSSING SIGNAL.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 23, 1914.

Application filed March 20, 1913. Serial No. 755,811.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J OHN P. BEIL, a citizen of the United States, and resident of King county, State of Washington, have invented certain new and useful. Improvements in Railway-Crossing Signals, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to railway signaling devices of that class which are intended to give a warning signal at track crossings, and comprises the novel parts and combinations of parts which will be hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

The object of my invention is to produce a device which will be mechanically operated by an approaching train or car to give a warning at a trackway crossing, in advance of the arrival of the train or car at said crossing, and which will also be operatedby the receding train or car to set the signal in its safety position.

In the drawings I have shown my inven tion embodied in the form which is now preferred by me.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3

shows, in perspective, the distant mechanism which is operated by-the car to actuate the signal member. .Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation of a detail of the distant actuating mechanism.

At the railway crossing, where it is desired to give a warning signal, Iplacesuch type of signal device as desired and is at the same time suited for operation with the remainder of my mechanism. This signal mechanism should contain a member adapted to swing into the danger and safe positions and this should be so pivoted or balanced, that it will remain in whichever of these positions it may be put, until it is positively acted upon with suflicient force to swing it to the opposite position.

As a suitable mechanism for complying with these requirements, Ihave chosen, for illustration, a lever'or arm 1, which is pivoted upon a post, or frame, 11, and is adapted to swing down across the roadway, or upward into vertical position, much after the manner of the common highway crossing gates. This bar 1 may be mounted at whatever elevation is desired, being placed low to act as an obstruction, or at a higher elevation where it will not act as anyobstruction to the passage of travel, but purely as a signal. The latter position is that preferred by me, as it avoids the possibility of accident by having the signal arm brought down when some one was crossing the track.

Stops are provided which limit the swing of the signal arm in the extent of its swing. A post, or bar, 12, may be used to limit the swing in the horizontal direction, and a side extending arm 10 may be used, which will contact with the ground, or a stop provided therefor, to limit the swing into the vertical position.

Upon the post 11, or any other suitable support, at a point above the pivot point for the arm 1, is a rope guide, as a pulley 21, over which passes a rope or chain 2, which is connected at one end with the arm 1, and at its other end is connected with the ropes, or rods, 23, which lead in opposite directions along the track, to the actuating means. A spring, or equivalent device, 22, is connected with the ropes, or rods, 23, so as, normally to leave the rope 2 a little slack.

The distant actuating mechanism is shown in perspective in Fig. 3. Alongside the rail, where it will be engaged by the wheel flanges, are placed two bars 3, pivoted at 30 so as to swing vertically. Their pivots are at their separated ends and their adjacent ends are normally slightly higher, so that the wheel flanges will engage and depress them, which movement is used to actuate the signal arm 1.

The free ends of the levers 3, rest upon a lever 1, which extends transversely of the track and rails, the pivoted end of this lever 4, being toward the center of the track from the rail and its free or swinging end being outside the rail. A spring 41, mounted upon its pivot bar 40, or any other suit able and equivalent means, is employed to return the lever A to its uppermost position.

The free or swinging end of lever A rests upon an arm 50 which is secured to a rockshaft 5 and which has an arm 51 secured in vertical position to its opposite end. This arm 51 is connected with the power communicating rope, or rods 23, which extend alongside the track to the signal.

The depression of the levers 3, by the flanges of'the cars, will act through levers 4:, 50 and 51, to exert a pull upon the rods 23, which will pull upon rope 2 at the signal, to swing the arm 1 into its other limiting position. As the point 20, at which the rope 2 is attached to the signal arm, is at opposite sides of the pivot point when in opposite positions, a pull upon this, with the arm in either position, will swing the signal arm toward the other position. This will swing the arm past the central position, wher it will be held by the preponderance of its weight, until another pull is exerted through the rope 2, when it will swing back into the other position. operation, it is essential that the succeeding wheels of the same car or train, be not permitted to exert successive pulls upon the signal arm, as otherwise the signal would be immediately thrown back into the safety position. To insure this I provide a retarding device acting to prevent immediate return of the levers 3 which engage the wheel flanges. Such retarding device as herein shown, consists of a dash pot, formed by a cylinder 70, within which is a piston con nected with the lever 4 by a rod 7. This piston is so constructed that it may be depressed quickly without olfering any material resistance, but will rise only slowly. It is also necessary that the power communicating rods, 28, be slacked ofl' immediately after exerting a pull upon the signal arm 1, as otherwise, it might be prevented from settling down into its proper location. I therefore have provided means for permitting the levers 50 and 51 returning at once to their normal position and for releasing them from the action of the levers 3. To do this I have provided a curved guide 6, carried by an arm 60, which engages the end of the lever 4, to deflect it laterally, the mounting of this lever being of such flexible character as will permit such deflection. When the end of lever 4 reaches its lowermost position, it passes beneath the lower end of guide 6, whereupon it swings laterally so as to engage the opposite side of the guide on its way up, which carries it outside of the end of the lever 50, until it clears the upper position of lever 50, when it springs back into its normal position above the lever 50.

It is believed that the operation of this device will be evident without an extended statement. The depression of the levers 3 by the flanges of a car wheel exerts a pull upon the rope 2, which gives the signal arm an impulse, sufiicient to raise it and throw it past its balanced central position, so that it will settle, by gravity, into the opposite position. The approaching car will thus act to throw the signal arm into danger position and after passing the crossing, it will act to throw the same arm back into the safety position.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A signal device for railway crossings comprising a pivoted signal arm, retained by gravity in each of two different angular In this manner of positions, an actuating member connected thereto at a point which swings to opposite sides of the pivot as the arm is shifted to its different positions, and means for giving said actuating member an impulse by the approach and recession of a car or train.

2. Asignal device for railway crossings comprising a pivoted signal arm, adapted to be held by gravity in two different angular positions, a lever pivoted alongside the track at a point distant from the crossing, and adapted to be actuated by a passing train or car, and means connecting said lever with the signal arm at a point on the latter which swings to opposite sides of'its pivot as the signal bar is shifted between its extreme positions, and means for limiting the impulses thereby transmitted to one for each passing train or car.

3. A signal device for railway crossings comprising a pivoted signal bar held by gravity at opposite ends of its swing, a flexible actuating member secured to said bar near its pivot and adapted to be swung to opposite sides of the pivot of said armas it swings from one extreme position to the other, a distant pivoted lever adapted to be actuated by a passing car or train, means connecting said lever with the signal-baractuating member, means for disconnecting said. lever from said signal-bar-actuating member after giving it one impulse, and means for restoring said broken connection after passage of the car or train.

4. A signal device for railway crossings comprising a signal located at the crossing, a primary. actuating lever pivoted alongside the track at a point distant from the crossing, an intermediate lever pivoted adjacent and having one end engaged by said primary actuating lever, actuating connections between said intermediate lever and the distant signal, a dash-pot connected with said primary actuating lever to prevent immediate return thereof, anda guide bar lying at an angle with the end of said primary actuating lever and deflecting said lever to bring it past the end of said intermediate lever upon its return to its normal position.

5. A signal device for railway crossings, comprising a post located at one side of said crossing, a signal arm pivoted upon said post to swing over the highway, said signal arm being adapted to be held by gravity in either raised or lowered positions, a cable or chain guide carried by said post removed from the pivot of the signal arm, a rope or like flexible member passing over said guide and connecting with the signal arm at a point which swings from one side to the other of said pivot as the signal arm is swung from one position to another, and means for giving an impulse to said rope by a passing car or train.

6. A means for actuating railway crossing signals, comprising a pair of levers having free ends adjacent and extending alongside a track rail in position to be engaged by a passing car wheel, the distant ends of said levers being pivoted, a lever extending transversely of the rail and engaged by both said wheel-engaged levers, an intermediate pivoted lever having one end engaged by said transversely extending lever and means for connecting said intermediate lever with the signal, and a curved guide engaging the end of the transversely extending lever to spring it laterally in opposite directions at the top and bottom of its swing, whereby it is disengaged from the intermediate lever upon completion of its down stroke and reengaged therewith upon the completion of its up stroke, and means connected with said transversely extending lever to delay its upward return.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto aflixed my signature at Seattle, Washington, this 6th day of March, 1913.

JOHN P. BEIL.

Witnesses:

OHAs. M. FoUTs, H. L. REYNOLDS.

Goples of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0. 

